Press Releases

While we are all reeling from yesterday’s horrifying news that the Trump Administration is seeking to eradicate the fundamental right of transgender Americans to define their own identities, I want to take a moment to remind us all of a truth that cannot be legislated out of existence: We are not who we are because other people say it is so. Our identities are ours alone to define, to explore, and to adapt to our ever-evolving understanding of ourselves. Those who seek to harm us do not have sovereignty over our bodies nor over the unique and complex spirit that makes us who we are.

We will not be erased because those who seek to erase us do not have the power to do so.

They may attempt to coerce us into a state of legal non-existence. They may threaten us with violence. They may erect walls across the paths we are taking our own individual journeys. They may mock us, insult us, and twist scientific research to conform to their vile purposes. But they cannot, and will not, take away the truth that we are, each of us, valuable and worthy. They cannot take from us that we are exactly who we need to be in this moment, and in working toward becoming a better version of the person we’ve always been we are not “becoming something” but rather embracing, celebrating, and cultivating who we already are.

Like you, I am tired and disgusted by the transphobia that openly dances in our streets and halls of government. Like you, I am scared by the uncertainty in which we all find ourselves. However, I know that we are deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and I remain resolved to fight for justice and equity for our community. I hope you'll continue to walk this path with me.

Just a few weeks ago I was notified that two transgender people I know had died by suicide. It is always a hard message to receive, and as a former clinician and as an advocate, I have grown accustomed to receiving it. As much as I have grown used to the kick of hearing a loved one is gone, I still find myself heartbroken over the loss of such a vibrant and unique life.

These two beautiful people are not the only ones we lost this year. Over 250+ transgender, gender queer, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming/expansive individuals fell victim to anti-transgender physical and social violence in 2017. Whether they died by their own hand or by the hand of another, their death is a senseless tragedy and a symptom of the toxic culture of misogynistic transphobia in which we live.

There is absolutely no reason why these deaths should have occurred. Yet year after year we come to this day and learn of the horrors of the past 365.

These victims often die after experiencing intense and violent torture. Reading the list of victims and how they died is nauseating. One from 2016, really stands out to me: A woman in Brazil who was mutilated and tossed in a landfill as her final resting place. I continue to be haunted by the image of that finality in the life of a person I didn't, and will never, know.

The sad truth is that these deaths will continue until our allies come to the point that they will no longer stand idly by and do nothing in response to our suffering, our pain, and our fear. Wearing a pin, putting a sticker on your door or car, sharing a supportive meme is not enough. We need strategic, passionate, and firm action.

The time for putting off helping until another day has passed. Transgender people cannot put off their lives and their safety until it is convenient or safe to live them. To be a true, dedicated ally means to do the utmost to help those in need. I plead with you to continue supporting the transgender people in your community. Please speak out in the face of violence and oppression, work to change discriminatory and non-inclusive laws and policies, and provide financial support to organizations, like ours, which work tirelessly to support transgender people every day and everywhere.

While today is a day of mourning when we remember the 250+ people who lost their lives this year for courageously embracing their authentic self, it is also a day of resolve: We stand resolved to continue our fight toward reclaiming our identities from fear, boldly confronting hate, and compassionately teaching our friends and family what it means to be transgender.

If you are transgender, gender queer, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming/expansive, or you love someone who is, know that we stand by your side as you continue to journey.

Today, the Department of Justice announced that they will no longer consider transgender identity as protected by Title VII. This means that, as of today, transgender, gender queer, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals can be discriminated against at work by their employers and the Federal government will do nothing to protect them. This move is incredibly disappointing and shameful because it represents an additional attack against gender minorities and an attempt to erase us from society. A nation which does not protect the civil rights of its citizens, especially in relation to housing, safety, and employment, does not support justice or equality nor does it respect the dignity and worth of all human beings.

We strongly condemn this shameful decision by Secretary Sessions, and we call on our friends and allies to exercise their first amendment rights of free speech in opposition to this move which will threaten the wellbeing of transgender, gender queer, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals through worsening their already untenable economic security. We further call upon our friends and allies to support transgender charities and organizations. Speaking out against oppression and showing social support is not enough.

We must continue to assist transgender individuals in the legal and health-related expenses they incur as a result of systemic oppression and discrimination. We remain committed to our mission of promoting the health and global wellbeing of transgender, gender queer, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals. We are here for you.

Board of Trustees

We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Atrocities such as the acts of wanton domestic terrorism in Charlottesville, VA this weekend remind us of the fragility of a society which values silent complicity with oppression rather than active resistance to systemic injustice. Our nation has repeatedly ignored the cries of minority and marginalized communities for the sake of keeping the peace rather than directly treating the cancer of systemic and rampant prejudice metastasized throughout our society which threatens daily to destroy the lives of people of color, Jewish communities, Muslim communities, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and all others who fail to meet the arbitrary qualifications for being "acceptable members" of our society.

As a transgender woman living in the deep south, I can attest to the exhausting and demoralizing effect such vile toxicity has on a person's very core. I cannot help but admire the temerity of others with less privilege than myself in the face of such raw hatred. However, admiration is as worthless a response as silence. Action, is what is needed, and action is what we must take in response to the stench of Nazism which has stood brazenly in our town squares, our halls of government, and in our places of worship.

I will be the first to admit that my organization and I have been remiss in considering the needs of transgender folk who belong to ethnic minority groups. In the last few months, I have been very mindful of the inadvertent ways in which this lack of intentionality contributes to systemic racism. The last few days have caused me to call myself to account for them. In the next few months, my team and I will consider ways to be more intentional about the needs of ethnic minorities who identify (or who have a loved one who identifies) as transgender, queer, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, gender fluid, plus.

I encourage you and your families, your organizations and clubs, your businesses and offices to do the same. I encourage you to do everything in your power to resist the evil of prejudice, actively, and with courage. The reality is, if we do not act in resistance, this cancer will overtake our society and our friends and neighbors will suffer even more than they already do.

I implore you to make no peace with oppression. Fight it with every ounce of courage that you have.

It has been one year since the atrocities at Pulse in Orlando. I remember, as do so many in our community, the horror of waking up that Sunday morning to the tragic news of such a senseless act of violence. I remember feeling a gnawing pain in the days following, a loss which had affected me so personally even though I had no direct connection to those whose lives were so violently ripped from them.

It was an act against a marginalized group of people in a place where they should have felt safe. In the one sanctuary many had in a world which wished them harm. And as we later learned, it is very probable that it was committed by a person harboring so much pain and anger and self-hatred because of the way in which our culture demeans, erases, and punishes those who identify as LGBTQ+.

Pulse was, and should be, a stark reminder of the vulnerability we still face as a community. A reminder that for transgender folk, we still live with the 1 in 12 (or 1 in 8) chance of dying from a hate crime this year and a 50% chance of being the victim of physical or sexual violence. That in spite of how far we have come, we still have so much work to do before things can truly get better.

Both my team and myself remain dedicated to doing that work: to honor those lost to us because they dared to live open an affirming lives and to work tirelessly to create safer, more inclusive communities. We remain forever here for you, no matter where you are in your transition, what needs you have, or what sorrows you face. We remain forever here for your loved ones as they transition with you to help them become your real-life transition partners. We remain forever here to educate our communities about gender identity and sexual orientation and to combat sexism, racism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia through strategic education and community-based partnerships.

In the aftermath of Pulse, the community banded together in love. Six days after Pulse, I was at Capital Pride in Bismarck. While we were all on-edge, we all took every opportunity to shower one another with love and support and to march with pride. Because that's what our community does. We show love and support where it is lacking, and pride because we are perfectly perfect and totally worth it.

Board of Trustees

June 5, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

Today, I was advised by the Internal Revenue Service that we have been recognized as a tax-exempt public charity as defined by section 501(c)(3) of Federal tax code. All donations received on and since December 29, 2016, our date of incorporation, are tax exempt and may be deducted from personal income tax.

I have instructed our secretary-treasurer to review our donation records so that we can send donation receipts to donors who made a donation during the last view days of fiscal year 2016. All donors making financial gifts between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017, will receive a donation receipt in January 2018.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our donors, volunteers, team members, and trustees who have given their time, talents, and financial gifts to make this milestone possible. Because of your generosity and faith, we have been able to take a three-year personal project and turn it into something with international reach that has the capability to help hundreds of thousands of people every year. I am looking forward to the next six months of our first year and the amazing things which I know that our amazing team can accomplish.

Please let me know if you have questions about our charitable status or about the plans we have for the next six months.

Darcy Jeda Corbitt Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity promoting the health and global wellbeing of transgender, queer, and gender nonconforming individuals. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by US Federal Tax Code.

“Darcy Jeda Corbitt,” and the “DJC” logo are trademarks of Darcy J. Corbitt-Hall, used under license. “MyTransitionPartner,” “Here for a better version of you,”, and the trans flag heart logos are trademarks of Darcy Jeda Corbitt Foundation, Inc.